Dorcas Copper

Back in July I accompanied a friend on a search for Dorcas Copper (Lycaena dorcas).  This butterfly species is rare in southern Ontario, largely due its preferred habitat of fens and the presence of its host plant, Shrubby Cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa).  The wetland we were searching, west of Cambridge, has no shortage of Shrubby Cinquefoil, and as it turns out, no shortage of Dorcas Copper either!  With the cinquefoil in full bloom, it was pretty neat to be surrounded by perhaps hundreds of nectaring butterflies.

The species is distinguished from other similar species including Bog Copper (Lycaena epixanthe) and Purplish Copper (Lycaena helloides) by the limited/lack of orange on the upperside of the wing as well as the number of dark spots present on the wing.  Also, the host plant for the other two species are cranberries (Vaccinium spp.) and knotweeds (Polygonum spp. and Rumex spp.), respectively.

The species is much more common on the Bruce and Manitoulin Island and throughout northern Ontario.  See the ebutterfly range map here.

These butterflies will live out their entire life cycle within this wetland and do not stray from the population of cinquefoil.